SOC 47-5071.00

    Roustabouts, Oil and Gas

    Assemble or repair oil field equipment using hand and power tools.

    Median pay
    $46,960
    Growth
    +3.6%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    4,100
    Typical education
    No formal credential

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

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    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $36,420
    Median
    $46,960
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $64,530
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    44,970 people work in this occupation.

    What roustabouts, oil and gas do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Assemble or repair oil field equipment using hand and power tools. Perform other tasks as needed.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    13 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    0 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    0 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    38 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
    88
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    87
    Controlling Machines and Processes
    82
    Performing General Physical Activities
    81
    Getting Information
    76
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    73
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    73
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    72
    Scheduling Work and Activities
    70
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    69
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Monitoring
    • Operation and Control
    • Operations Monitoring
    • Quality Control Analysis
    • Active Listening
    • Equipment Maintenance
    • Repairing
    • Social Perceptiveness

    Knowledge

    • Mechanical
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Production and Processing
    • Transportation
    • Mathematics
    • English Language
    • Physics
    • Education and Training
    • Engineering and Technology
    • Building and Construction

    Abilities

    • Manual Dexterity
    • Multilimb Coordination
    • Near Vision
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Control Precision
    • Extent Flexibility
    • Far Vision
    • Static Strength
    • Trunk Strength

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness
    • Attention to Detail
    • Perseverance
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Integrity
    • Self-Control
    • Self-Confidence
    • Cooperation
    • Achievement Orientation

    Also called

    Casing Crew Pusher · Cathead Operator · Connection Worker · Derrick Hand · Drill Rig Operator · Dumper Bailer Operator · Equipment Operator · Field Service Engineer · Field Service Installation Technician (Field Service Installation Tech) · Field Service Roustabout

    Your plan

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    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

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    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.